Machine for vacuum-sealing.



r $513 d tto J. V. HULL.

MACHINE FOR VACUUM SEALING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.6,1912.

l lg j ggfi Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

qwi/bwmo a Win W506 J/V. HULL.

MACHINE FOR VACUUM SEALING.

APPLICATION FILED MARIG, 1912.

Patentel Mai: 30, 1915.

vi/bnwoes Z2 3 l wa Wioz J. V. HULL.

. MACHINE FOR VACUUM SEALING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1912.

1 1 3%,Q65, Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

HIM

WWW 20 Mentoz J. V. HULL.

MACHINE FOR VACUUM SEALING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.6,1912.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

5 SEEETS-SHEET 4.

VIIilL'Il'IIIIIII $3; 61 mm @WQ( M4 57 W Wbimwwo: 3

J. V. HULL.

MAGHINE FOR VACUUM SEALING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 19-12.

1,13%,Q65h Patented Mar.30,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

wvitweaoe o 51400-1 l'oz the apparatus.

JQSEPE'V'. HULL, G13 ERQUl ZLYN, NEW YGRK, ASSIGNOR, BY-TfiES-NE ASSIGNMENTS, Ti?

ANGHQEGAP 8;, CLGSURE Application filed starch t, 1912.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr V. Horn, a citizen of the United gtates, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Vacuun1-Sealing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for vacuum sealing and mechanically sealing of bottles, jars, cans, and other receptacles provided with caps or like clo sures.

The machine is especially adapted for the sealing of glass bottles glass jars and other glass receptacles provi ed with caps having an annular beading which is compressed vertically so as to compress a packing ring within the heading, and at the same time squeeze a portion of the packing ring out of the beadingand against the outer face of the bottle, jar or other receptacle so as to form a mechanical seal.

The invention hereinafter described is shown in the drawings in which Figure 1 represents a side view of the machine. Fig. 2 a view from the opposite side partly in section. Fig. 3 afront View. Fig. 4 a sectional view of the upper part of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 a sectional View of the mechanical sealing mechanism at the end of the sealing operation. Figs. 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 de tailed sectional views of parts of the apparatus more particularly described hereinafter. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic section showing the principle of operation of the clutch used by me.

In the drawings in which like numbers represent like parts, 1 is a hollow frame or standard provided with abase to support 2. 2 are arms cast with the frame and extending therefrom.

3 is a supporting head adapted to support the chamber and mechanical sealing mechanism.

4: is a vacuum chamber provided with a door 5 which. consists otinner and outer plates 7 held together by means of bolts 8, H

and supporting'between the two, plates a packing 6. i

9 is an arm pivoted to the top of the door 5 at one end, and at its other end pivoted to the. standard 1, the object of which is to retain the door '5 in parallel position with contonation, or new roam N. 1., a-conronarroivor vaouuia-snatme.

Specification of Letters Patent. P gt gm t gfl my 3Q}, 11935 Serial Nd. 682,05l.

'oted at 11 in the rear, of the supporting frame 1. This yoke 10 at its extreme rear end is pivoted by pivot 13 to arms 12 which extend down each side of the supporting frame 1, and at their lower ends are pivoted .by pivot late the treadle 15,.pivot 1a. being located in the. slot 19.. It will thus be seen that by the operator pressing downward upon the treadle 15 the door 5 will be closed through the medium. of arms 12 and yoke 10 which yoke will raise the door 5 up and inward until it comes in contact with the front of the vacuum chamber, when a'continued pressure of the foot will cause the packing to be compressed so as to make'the vacuum chamber air-tight. The treadle 15 is pivoted to the supporting frame by pivot 26 and is provided witha spring 33 adapted to hold it upward and in its normal position as shown in the drawings. This treadle, or pedal mechanism, for closing the vacuum chamber permits the operator to control the operation of the machine with; his foot, so that both hands may be used to insert and Withdraw packages inthe vacuum chamber simultaneously, thereby greatly increasing the capacity of the machine. A further ad vantage is that the closing of the vacuum chamber by the operator avoids serious accident should his hand be caught by. the'closing wall. This is not the case in other terms of machines where power is applied. to close the chamber.

The door mechanism as described operates.

with substantially a parallel movement. The door occupies a minimum spacein its.

vacuum chamber. -'llhis method of closing thechamber also permits the securing ofian.

air-tight packing joint. In machineswhere the door is directly attached or hingedjto the vacuum casing, the thickness of thepacking must be: definite and exact to a very small fraction of an inch, ora good vacuum cannot be secured in the chamber. lhe' packing must always be maintained at this I definite th-ickness and accordingly nogreat amount of Wear is permissible. By the pro vision applicant makes of a loosely swinging.

door, the thickness of the packing may be varied within wide range and yet the pack-' ing joint will always be air-tight, and thls is also true in cases where the packing has become worn.

34 is a shaft mounted in a bearing in-the support 30 having a gear wheel 38 keyed to it, which gear wheel meshes with the gear 31 vided a spring 47, so as to permit the table 42 to be moved irrespective of the movement in Fig.

' until the door.5 of the. vacuum loosely mounted on the shaft 37.

35 and 36 are pulley wheels mounted on the shaft 34, 35 being keyed to the shaft and 36 being an idler. I provide a clutch mechanism shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 so as to operatively bring the shaft 37 into engagement with the gear wheel 31. This clutch mechanism consists of a casting 24 having a slot 25 in which is located a slide bolt 26 held normally projecting outof the slot 25 b means of the spring' 28 as shown Forclearness of description I have shown in Figs. 6 and 7v the clutch mechanism in operative position, in this re-. spect being different from the other figures of the drawing, as in those figures the clutch is not in (iperative position. On the gear wheel 31, provide a series of pins 32 so arranged that the slide bblt 26 will pass between them and thus bring the gear wheel 31 into operative connection with the casting 24, and thecasting 24 being keyed to the shaft 37, will thereby cause the shaft 37 to rotate. In order to disengage the clutch from operative position, as shown in Figs.

I 6 and 7, I provide an arm'21 pivotedto the treadle' 15 by a pivot22, havingat its upper end a segment with a beveled edge 23 which engages with the bevel27 on the slide bolt 26 as the device rotates, and thereby forces the slide bolt 26 out from engagement be tween the pins 32, thus disengaging the clutch. The segment 23 is shown with a long cam. surface in Fig. 6, the object of which is to hold the slide arm 26 out of engagement sufficiently long so that the machine may come to a stop. In order to facilitate the stopping,'I.provide a brake 39 supported by the frame 1. through the medium of the arm 40 to which the brake 39 is bolted. I preferably so time the operation of the clutch that it cannot engage with the gear wheel 31 chamber has been closed. In the arms 2, 2 is loosely mounted a slide rod 41 (see Figs. 2 and 4). which is hollow at 1ts upper end and provided with an in-' ternal ledge 45 uponfwhich rests the disk or washer 44. Passing through the disk or Washer 44 is a bolt 46 fixed to the table 42 above and bearing a nut below the washer. Between the washer and the table 42 is proof the-slide rod 41. The table 42, upon which the jar or receptacle to be sealed is placed, 1s provided with a guide 43, andhas of this self-adjusting support, the breakage of glass containers duringthe capping operation is prevented, and by mounting the support within the vacuum chamber, it is always movable freely under pressureof the container as no packing gland is required for the stem of the support. This construction obviates the danger of loss of vacuum on the one hand, and of the support working too stifily on the other, due to pressure of air-tight packing that would otherwise be necessary. At the lower end of the slide rod 41 a block 46 is clamped by means of the screw 47, which block on its inner side is provided with an arm 51 (see Fig. 10)upon which is loosely mounted a roller 52. This roller 52 engages in a cam slot 49 in the disk and engaging with the cam 54. 56 is a roller. loosely mounted on the rod 57 engaging with the cam 53. The rod 57' is pivoted to the rod 58. The upper end of rod 58 is pivoted to the rod 59 on the end of which is secured a washer 60 by means of the-nut 66 adapted to hold the spring 67 in place on the rod 59.

At the lower end of the spring 67 is mounted on the rod 59 a movable yoke 62 pivoted to the lever 63 so arranged that as cam 54 causes the members 57, 58 and 59 tomove downward, the spring 67 will force the yoke 62 downward thus rocking the lever 63 which is pivoted to the head 3 by pivot 68, andraising-the arm 65 which is pivoted to the outer end of the rocking lever 63 by pivot 64 to operate the mechanical sealing mechanism hereinafter described. Supported from the head 3 and held in place there by means of the set screw 69 .is the mechanical sealing mechanism and vacuum sealing chamber, which consists of the casting 70 having secured to it by bolts 72 the casing 71 of the vacuum chamber. At the lower end of the casing 71 and secured to it by bolts 74 is the 41- is a flange 77 which is screw-threaded on its outer surface, and is provided on its lower .s1de with a bevel. I provide a packing nut 75 which is threaded so as to engage with the thread on flange 77. Compressed between the packing nut and the lower end of the flange 77 is a packing 76 so as to-make an air-tight joint between the slide rod 41 and the bottom plate of the vacuum chamber,

while at the same time permitting movement of the slide rod 4.1. 7'

My mechanical sealing device consists (see Figs. 4 and 5) of the centering head 7 8 having a downwardly extending flange 79. This centering head is screw-threaded so as to engage with a screw-thread in the casting or head block and is held against rotation by means of the spring pressed stud 80, although by reason of this stud being spring pressed, the centering cap may be rotated by use of a tool, or by sufficient force being operated to rotate same in opposition to the spring, or by loosening the screw 81 which controls the pressure of the spring on the stud 80. The centering cap 78 is provided with an opening in which is placed a movable bar 82,-which, if desired, may be a magnet. Segmental jaws 83, having a beveled shoulder 84 on their outer side and a shoulder 86 on their inner side adapted to engage below a beading on the cap of the closure, are pivoted by pivots 87 to the movable head 88. The aws 83 are normally held outward by means of, spring 89. When the movable head 88 is in its normal position, as shown in Fig. 4, and the machine is operated, the head moves upward, and the beveled shoulders 84 on the outside of the segmental jaws 81 engage with the bearing surface 90 held 'in place at the upper partof the vacuum chamber, so as to force the segmental jaws in under the beading of the cap. As the movable head 88 continues to move upward it causes the shoulders 86 to compress the beading on the cap between the downwardly extending flange of the centering cap 78 and the shoulders 86 on the segmental jaws 83, while the beading is at the same time prevented from enlarging its diameter by means of the inner side of the segmental jaws. The chuck is shown at the end of the operation of mechanically sealing a receptacle in Fig. 5.

The movable head 88 is provided with pins 91 which engage with openings in the lower end of the vertically moving rods 92.

These vertically moving rods 92 operate in openings provided in the casting or cupshaped chamber 70, which openings are screw-threaded to receive packing nuts 83, so as to compress the packing 91 for the purpose of making air-tight joints, while at the same time permitting movement of the rods 92. At the upper ends these rods 92 by 7 means of pivots 95 are operatively attached rods 65, which in turn are by pivot 64 pivoted to the lever arm 63 mounted on pivot 68.

Leading from any suitable exhausting apparatus is a pipe 96 opening into the vacuum chamber (see Fig. 1). In the pipe 96 near the vacuum chamber is provided a two-way valve, as shown in Fig. 12, which when the machine is in normal position, as, shown in Fig. l, is set so that the passage 109 communicates with that part of the pipe 96 leading to'the vacuum chamber, while the passage 108 communicates with the openings in the valve casing 110, so as to permit air to enter the vacuum chamber. When the valve is operated, as hereinafter described, the passage 107 comes into direct alinement with that part of the pipe 96 leading to the vacuum chamber, while the other end of the passage 107 comes in direct alinement with that part of the pipe leading to the exhausting apparatus, and the two passages 108 and 109 are closed by the casing of the valve. This valve 97 is provided with a disk (see Fig. 1) to which is pivoted a rod 98, the other end of the rod 98 being pivoted to a rocking lever 99, which rocking lever is pivoted at 100 to the casing l. The valve is kept normally open by means of a spring 101 which retains the rod 98 in normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. Mounted on the pivot 102 on the other end of the rocking lever 99 is a roller 103 (see Fig. 9). The disk 50, which is keyed to the shaft 37 as heretofore described, is also provided with a cam surface 104, which extends about twothirds around the disk, as shown in Fig. 10, and is provided at each end with a beveled surface. As the shaft .37 rotates, thereby rotating the disk 50, it also rotates the cam surface 101 until the beveled edge of the cam surface engages with the roller 103, causing it to be pressed in opposition to the spring 101 toward the rear of the machine, thus rocking lever 99 on pivot 100, and thereby raising rod 98, rotating the disk on the valve 97, and bringing the passage 107 in the valve in alinement with the adjoining openings in the pipe leading to the vacuum chamber and to the exhausting apparatus, while at the same time closing the passages 108 and 109 3 in the valve. By reason of the timing of the clutch operating mechanism, heretofore described, so that the machine will not operate until the door 5 is closed, the valve 97 will not close until the door 5 is shut and will open before the door 5 is opened. As the door 5 is raised, the upper edge comes in contact with the lower edge of the contact pin and compresses the spring 107 coiled about the rod 106. In this way any sudden jarring or shock to the apparatus is pre- Vented. In the rear of the standard or casing 1, I also provide an adjustment screw or bolt 18, so arranged as to adjust the distance .of movement of the yoke 10. The resilient vacuum sealing machine is as follows: A

bottle, jar or other receptacle is placed upon the table 42, being guided into its proper position by means of the guides 43. A cap provided with a downwardly extending flange having an annular beading in which is located a packing ring, although other forms of caps may be used if desired, .is placed upon the receptacle or on the centering cap. The operator then presses downward upon the treadle 15, which through the medium of rods 12 and yoke lever 10 closes the door 5. As the door closes, the continued downward pressure of the treadle withdraws the segment 23 of the clutch from engagement with the slide bolt- 26, perm1tt1ng the slide bolt to be pressed outwardly by the spring 28, so as to pass between two of the pins 32 in the gear wheel 31. The ear wheel 31 being in mesh with the gear 38 fixed to the shaft34, having fixed to it the pulley 35 which is being operated, the clutch is caused to rotate, thereby rotating the shaft 37 to which it is keyed, and at the same time rotating cams 53, 54 and disk 50. As the disk rotates, the cam surface 104 will be brought into engagement with the roller 103 on the rocking lever 99, causing the chamber to be closed to the atmosphere and open to the exhausting device through the medium of the rod 98. As soon as the valve is closed the exhausting apparatus be ing in operation, creates a vacuum in the vacuum chamber, and thereby creates a vacuum in the receptacle which is being sealed. The rotation of disk 50 at the same time causes the slide rod 41 to raise through the medium of block 46, roller 52, and cam groove 49 in disk 50, until the jar or receptacle has been brought into contact with the cap, when the rod may continue its upward movement, but the table 42 will be held stationary through the medium of the spring 47 which will be compressed. During the exhausting of the chamber or the creating of a vacuum therein, I prevent the cap on the receptacle from being displaced by the, freely sliding weighted rod 82. If the for; mation of the vacuum be too sudden or if suitable restraining means is not used, the

I cap will be violently lifted and the icontents of the container sucked out into the chamber. Heretofore this has often happened in the packing under vacuum of pea? nut butter and the like; but the action of the weighted rod 82/is such as to prevent the too sudden lifting of the ca while at the. same time it permits of su 'cient movement to allow the air to be drawn from the container. After the table 42 is raised, and the vacuum is created in the vacuum chamber, cam 54 operating through the medium of the roller 55 causes the rods 57, 58 and 59 to be moved downward, thus raising the vertical. moving arms 92 by the yoke 62, rocking lever 63 and arms 65. This movement Yofthe vertically moving arms 92 in an upward direction draws up with it the movable head 88 through the medium of the pins 91, I causing the segmental jaws by reason of their beveled shoulder 84 engaging with the bearing surface 90 to move inward so that the shoulder 86 comes under the lower side of the beading on the cap, and a continued upward movement causes the shoulder 86 to compress the beading between the downwardly extending flange 79 on the centering cap, and the shoulder 86 on the segmental jaws, thus squeezing a part of the packing out of the beading against the outer wall of the receptacle, and creating a mechanical seal, while at the same time retaining the vacuum in the receptacle. A further rotation of the shaft 37 causes the roller 56 to engage with the cam 53, which causes the rods 57, 58 and 59 to raise, thereby lowering the vertical moving rods 92 through the medium of the rocking arm 63 and lever I causing the head 88 to lower, and the segmental jaws by means of the springs 89 are forced outward and away from the under side of the beading. As soon as the segmental jaws areout of engagement with the heading, the roller 103 disengages with the cam surface 104 on the disk 50,'causing the spring 101 to rock the rocking lever 99, so as to draw the rod 98 downward, thus rotating the disk of the valve 97 and opening the same to atmosphere, thereby allowing the pressure in the chamber 4 to rise to the pressure of the atmosphere. At the same time that the valve is being opened, the table 42 through the medium of the slide rod 41, roller 52 and cam groove 49 is being lowered. The operator having withdrawn pressure from the treadle 15, the spring 33 drawing upward on the same, causes the pin 21 having a beveled surface 23 to engage with the slide bolt 26 in the clutch, thereby throwing the clutch out of engagement while the brake 39 stops the rotation of same. As soon as the atmosphere passes into the chamber, the

door 5 opens by gravity leaving the machine I in its normal position as shown, permitting access to the chamber 4, and the removal of the receptacle, having a cap sealed thereon by the pressure of the atmosphere and by mechanical means.

It will be noted that this mechanism provides for a mechanical seal in which the sealing dies and abutment are closely associated with each other forming a sealing mechanismwith balanced forces. With this form of sealing device the container is not required to act as'the abutment or to receive the thrust of the sealing mechanism. This is of great importance in vacuum sealing machines as the breakage of a container in these machines causes the immediate flooding of the vacuum chamber with the contents of the package, which are usually liquid. For the same reason, where power is used to effect the sealing operation, it must be applied in such a manner that no breakage results from its application and the mechanism described achieves this purpose.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber and its closure, of a sealing device located within the chamber, and a self-adjusting support for the container having its moving parts within the chamber.

2. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combinatidn with a chamber having a' part thereof in the form of a movable closure whereby the chamber may be opened or may be hermetically sealed, of a power driven sealing device adapted to operate upon a container within said chamber, a support for the container, and a pedal mechanism adapted to operate the said movable closure and to control the operation of the sealing device.

3. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber having a part thereof in the form of a movable closure whereby the chamber may be opened or may be hermetically sealed,of a power driven sealing device adapted to operate upon a container within said chamber, an abutment adapted to bear upon one end of the container, the said abutment being resilient to compensate for varying sizes of containers, and a pedal mechanism adapted to operate the said movable closure and to control the operation of the sealing device.

4. Ina vacuum sealing machine, the com-- bination with a chamber, of a power sealing device located within the chamber, a support- 6. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber having a part thereof in the form of a movable closurewhereby the chamber may be opened or may be hermetically sealed, of a power driven sealing device adapted to operate upon a container within said chamber, a continuously running power shaft, a clutch intermediate the said shaft and said sealing device, and a pedal mechanism adapted to operate the said closure and to control the action of said clutch.

7. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber, of a power operated sealing device located within the chamber, a power operated container support equipped with self-adjusting devices adapted to compensate for varying sizes of con tainers, a closure for the chamber, and a pedal adapted to operate the closure and to control the operation of the sealing device and the container support.

8. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber, of a power operated mechanical sealing device located within the chamber, a self-adjusting support adapted to present varying sizes of containers to the sealing device, a closure for the chamber having a movement independent of the adjusting movement of the support, and a pedal adapted to operate the said closure and to control the operation of the said sealing device.

9. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber, of a power operated mechanical sealing device located within the chamber, a power operated container support equipped with self-adjusting devices to compensate for varying sizes of containers, a closure for the chamber having a movement independent of the movement of said devices, and a pedal adapted to operate the said closure and to control the operation of the said sealing device and the said support.

10. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber, of a power operated sealing device located within the chamber and adapted to effect a mechanical seal with a container without imposing a thrust thereon, a self-adjusting support adapted to register varying sizes of containers with the said sealing device, a closure for the chamber, and a pedal mechanism adapted to operate the said closure and to control the operation of the sealing device.

11. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber and its closure, of a power operated sealing device located within the chamber and adapted to effect a mechanical seal with a container without imposing a thrust thereon, a pedal mechanism adapted to operate the closure and to control the operation of the power sealing device, and a self-adjusting support located within the closed chamber and adapted to present varying sizes of containers to the sealing device.

chamber, and a pedal mechanism adapted" to operate the closure means and to control the operation of the sealing device.

v 13. In a vacuum sealing machine, the combination with a chamber, of a sealing device located Within the chamber, a support for the container, a closure for the chamher, and a device adapted to regulate the lifting of the container cap during the exhausting operation. l

* 1 4i Ina vacuum sealingimacliine, a casing comprising a chamber having a side opening, a closure for sealing the chamber, a' lever attached to the closure and adapted to support and to move the same, operating means for the lever, and a second lever at tached to the closure in oflset relation to the firstlever and adapted to control thegeneral position of the closure during its movement by the first lever, the combined action of the levers operating to maintain the closurein a parallel relation to the side opening.

15. Ina vacuum sealing. machine, a casing comprising a chamber having a side opening, a closure for sealing the chamber, means for supporting the closure and for moving it laterally .to and from the said opening, in combination with a lever operating on the closure to maintain it in substantially parallel relationship with the walls of said opening during the movements of the said closure.

1-6. In a vacuum sealing machine, a casing comprising a chamber having a side opening, a closure for sealing the chamber, a yoked lever for supporting and moving the closure, and a second lever attached to the closure and adapted to determine the position of the closure relatively to the said yoked lever.

17. Ina vacuum sealing machine, a' chamher having an opening, a closure for the chamber, packing interposed between the chamber and the closure, and -a resilient device adapted to check the movement of, the

closure in the operaticnofs'ealing the chambe: and tofacilitate the movement ii -the operation of unsea'ling'.

1'8. A sealingchuck comprising}; head having a depending annmfa'r jaw adapted to flange, the said jaw having a beading adapted to impress an' annulargroove in the up per part of the cap'flange, a series of radially movable sectional jaws adaptedto contact with the under part of the cap flange, a support for the sectionaljaws, and

means to cause a relative movement of the head and the sectional jaws whereby the cap flange is compressed in a vertical direction.

19. A sealing chuck comprising a head having a recess to receive the body of the cap and'an annular jaw adapted to contact with the upper part of the cap flange, the said annular jaw being formed with a bead ing adapted to impress an annular groove in the upper part of the cap flange, a series of radially movable sectional jaws adapted to contact with the under part of the cap flange, a support for the sectional jaws, and means to cause a relative movement of the head and the sectional jaws whereby the cap flange is compressed in a vertical direction.

20. A sealing chuck comprising a head having an annular jaw adapted to contact with the upper part of the cap flange, the

said jaw having a beading adapted to im-.

press an annular groove in the upper part of the cap flange, a support, a series of sectional jaws pivoted to said support and adapted to contact with the under part of the cap flange, the said sectional jaws being radially movable to and from the cap flange, and means to cause a relative movement of the head and the sectional jaws and support. whereby the cap flange is coman exhausting connection for said chamber, a valve controlling said connection, and a pedal mechanism adapted to operate d1-- rectl-y the said closure and to control the 1 action of said clutch and said valve.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, 'inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

JOSEPH v. HULL.

R'en'r; T. Rsnnsmnw; H. Mclaseemun'. 

